Identity Complex
by Akira Takamedo
Summary: From the end of training and the gaining of their white armor, a trooper is tasked with nothing more than unquestioned loyalty, concepts of individuality are nonexistent. What happens when one attempts to gain a name? A Republic, an Empire, and a destiny.
1. Prologue

**Prologue – Vengeance**

"What in blazes are those TIE squads doing? Get some to escort us to the surface or we'll never make it!" came the heavily-accented yell of the gray-suited pilot within the transport's canopy as he lowered the thick visor placed along his helmet over his eyes.

"It looks like those Rebel air teams are keeping them busy; we'll have to make the approach on our own," replied the co-pilot as he did the same.

"_This is Alpha Six – Eight and Ten, move to escort that lander as they approach the Temple_," the radio cackled.

"_Alpha Ten, moving to sentry position_."

"It's about bloody time; I'm not putting my neck on the line to satisfy some flyboy that wants to rack up more kills for himself – allies or the Rebel scum," the pilot remarks as he intensifies his focus over the controls.

"I know what you mean," the co-pilot replies. With the helmet goggles acting as a visor over his eyes, he leaned on the back of his seat to face us.

The Sentinel-class landing craft we were aboard wasn't very roomy for a Stormtrooper awaiting landing in the passenger hold, seeing as how the thing was meant to accommodate over fifty troopers. I was nestled between two others; our bodies separated only by the pale-colored plastoid armor that surrounded us. Tension was certainly high; we could hear the roars of the aerial battle outside and the transmissions from the canopy radio. It didn't take much to gather that Imperial dropships were being picked off by Rebel fighters and the situation of landing some troops in the Temple was getting more desperate by the minute. As my attention was diverted to the landing craft's co-pilot along with every other Stormtrooper in the hold, I quickly double-checked the power pack on my E-11 – seemed to be in good working order.

"Alright, you guys received your briefings aboard the _Arrestor_, so you know what you're setting out to do. We're taking the Sentinel to land ten klicks from the entrance to the Temple; the rest is up to you."

"Just don't get chewed by aerial fire while we're trying to get out," quickly remarked TK-217.

"If the TIEs do their job properly, that won't happen."

TK-217 was our battalion commander; calculating, excellent marksman, and a substantial amount of loyalty within him – though rumors often circulated that this loyalty was geared more toward the Stormtrooper Corps, the Imperial Army, and the Empire itself rather than the Emperor. He joined up at the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire was fresh and the Old Republic still in people's minds. He lent a hand back when the duties of the Stormtrooper Corps were often revolving around 'adjusting' a planet's government to comply with Imperial standards. With the experience under his belt, he was a highly effective field commander – perfect for the job of leading the 125th Platoon.

As for myself? Well, I wish I could say I had a name, but all I have is my designation – TK-1138, at your service. I'm still a bit of a fresh recruit out of the Academy, having only joined the Imperial Army two years ago upon turning seventeen. I grew up orphaned – never even knew my parents, quite honestly. I decided the best way to earn a paycheck would be to serve in the Army, seeing as how I already had to teach myself how to use a blaster to survive through the years. I didn't expect that I would end up the Stormtrooper Corps so soon after joining the Academy, however. My instructors would always remark that they hadn't seen such precise handling of a blaster among raw recruits; that it was something more often seen among the clones grown from the DNA stock the Old Republic used during the Clone Wars and still among the Stormtrooper Corps to this day, originating from the long-since dead bounty hunter Jango Fett. All in all, I finished up my training among what were deemed as the best combatants in the Academy, eventually earning my armor when I turned eighteen.

I guess I've got some luck in me though, seeing as how the 125th wasn't among the platoons sent to the Death Star. That assignment evolved from the dullest work for a Stormtrooper to that of a death sentence in the course of a few hours. I guess when one is regulated to tedious inspection drills, one doesn't question the security of the Death Star's defense network. No one could've imagined that the Rebels were capable of blowing the thing up, and yet there it was.

So now, we're among the waves sent to the fourth moon of Yavin, charged with commencing an avenging strike against the Rebels for the destruction of the Death Star. We wouldn't be the first, seeing as how the 501st Legion had already completed a landing on the moon, but if our numbers on the ground equated to our amount in space, we would probably be the last. Among the numerous Imperial personnel in the operation was myself, a nineteen year old Stormtrooper in the 125th Batallion, originating from the Imperial-class Star Destroyer _Arrestor_ that was now taking part in the Imperial blockade around Yavin IV's orbit. I took part in other minor skirmishes with the 125th against the Rebels, namely taking part in boarding parties as the _Arrestor_ disabled Rebel capital ships and sent us in among others to physically _do _the arresting. The Empire had wanted to commit as many forces as possible to the mission of toppling the Rebel base on Yavin IV, and the 125th was among them. We all had to rely on our training and combat skill now; the Empire finally recognized the situation as open war.

"Alright, we're beginning landing procedures. I've received field assignments for you from the _Arrestor_. You're to link up with a Juggernaut and some AT-STs operating a few klicks away from the landing zone; it's part of the 211th Batallion. You'll be advancing with them to the temple," the pilot announced from the canopy.

"Alright, heads up upon landing, we're expecting combat from the get-go so pay attention to your surroundings," advised Seventeen.

The hold shook as the Sentinel's landing gear met impact with the surface; every member of the 125th occupying the craft stood and faced the sealed hatch, myself included.

"Good luck out there, I'm opening the hatch now," the co-pilot sent us off with.

Within seconds of the announcement, the wall ahead of us extended outward, filling the craft's interior with the contrasting light of the skies over Yavin IV. I was in the second row of troopers ready to exit, so chances are if there was Rebel artillery waiting for us close by, I'd be among the ones shelled first – it wasn't a very calming feeling.

"Go, go!" barked Seventeen from the lead.

With the Commander out first, we started a mad rush out of the landing craft and down the boarding ramp to the dirt surface and Rebel defenders waiting for us below. Already there were crimson blaster bolts speeding across my eyesight as what I guessed were Rebel outlying ground patrols opened fire as we exited the Sentinel. Taking sight upon a nearby Rebel trooper through my E-11's scope upon reaching the foot of the ramp, I quickly squeezed the trigger, firing the shot that sent him back with a puncturing burn in his torso. The other Stormtroopers immediately began their counterattack as well, and it was clear that this would be a tough march to reach the 211th.

The galaxy shook as the domination of the Galactic Empire was about to be tested to its limits.


	2. Chapter 1: Zero Hour

**Part I: Emergency**

**Chapter 1 – Zero Hour**

Well, this is it.

For weeks, years, we've been training for this very moment. We were bred from our genetic birth to be the perfect soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, and now the time to earn our position and showcase our purpose has finally come.

With this Separatist movement building throughout the Galaxy over the last two years, we all knew that such anti-Republic beliefs would, in time, escalate to open war. What we didn't expect, however, was that the Seps would be able to construct billions of several differing types of Battle Droids to back up their independence.

A regular horde of mindless drones that only know how to shoot a blaster and reply to everything with 'Roger, roger'; that's clearly all we needed now.

"_The initial wave of the invasion consists of the Jedi's two-hundred and twelve-strong Strike Team led by General Windu. Their intent is to sneak into the Geonosian Arena and rescue General Kenobi, Commander Skywalker, and Senator Amidala._"

I was seated in front of the hologram projection set in the gunship's passenger compartment, broadcasting the image of Commander CC-1042 originating from yet another of the hordes of LAAT/i and LAAT/c classes of military gunships awaiting takeoff in the hangar. Preparations had already been completed from what I can tell, as each of the LAAT/c ships were loaded with an AT-TE ready to take down. I took a quick gaze at the LAAT adjacent to us, making out the same transmission in the hold of that transport as well – no doubt other members of our team. Commander Four-Two was the officer in charge of the 272nd Regiment, one of the numerous formations of the Republic Army that called the _Relentless _home – the Acclamator-class military transport that was currently among another forty waiting in orbit around Geonosis for the advance order to be given. The Commander looked no different than the rest of us did in the rather uncomfortable standard Republic-issue plastoid armor; his distinctive yellow armor markings didn't show up too clear on the projection.

In the gunship with me were our officer, six-man squad, two pilots, and two gunners. The officer leading us was our squad Sergeant, CT-04/009, though he came to be known merely as 'Sarge'; like the Captain, his armor was lined with specialized colorings to separate himself from the other troopers – it was customary in the Army for Sergeants to dress in green-marked armor. I met Sergeant Zero-Nine one day by chance in the mess hall during the first week of advanced weapons training a year ago; fate would have it that we were later put in the same training squad. All that time though, I had no idea he was in the officer program. Yet now, due to what our trainers deemed as 'sufficient team performance', I was placed in his squad – fate strikes again.

Next we have our heavy fire support trooper, CT-09/139. In the months leading to this day in our squad training, Three-Nine took it upon himself to further his physical training, making him slightly…buffer than the rest of us. I never much saw the point, but I suppose it helped him carry that PLX-1 portable missile launcher – and perhaps even to knock around a few Battle Droids if it came to it. Still, I'm surprised his armor could fit him at all.

CT-06/087, our slicing expert and medic, was fully equipped with a good supply of medicine, portable bacta tanks, and bacta injectors along his belt. I was skeptical at first at the effectiveness of a field medical specialist on the squad, thinking that if one of us was shot and was being tended to, he would be next. Training changed that for me though – Eight-Seven proved that he could tend to a wound while fending off hostiles with the DC-15S, and for that I must say that he is probably the one in the squad I respect the most beside the Sergeant.

Every good squad had need of an efficient sniper, and CT-10/014 took the role quite well. I swear that DC-15x sniper rifle of his is like an extension of his body – or at least he likes to act as if it is. The one thing he prides above all else is his marksmanship. In his words, 'The ability to sink a precise bolt in a gearhead's sweet spot could mean the difference between fighting and dying for nothing, or getting to plant another kill mark on your armor and gazing at it with pride when you have nothing to do'. One-Four's sniping was among the best in the regular Army, which was surprising to most due to the fact that we weren't even a commando squad.

Then there was me, CT-12/025. I can't say I received any specialized training like those three; I'm just another trooper in the service of the Republic toting the good-old DC-15A rifle with some emergency supplies, power packs, thermal detonators, EMP grenades, a couple charges, and a small vibroblade on my belt – same with the many among the thousands of standard infantrymen to be deployed, well, minus the vibroblade. In my belief, sometimes a knife would probably come in handy in close-quarters combat over a thing like a blaster, especially a long rifle like the 15A, but I suppose the other squad members were so accustomed to their blasters that they couldn't get used to a knife. In fact, the Sergeant would often joke with me that the lightsaber wasn't a weapon available to the Army. Myself though, during combat training I took special care to equate my skills with both the rifle and the knife for top efficiency in combat. I suppose I'll find out today if it was all worth it.

Finally, we had CT-07/113 and CT-09/072, the squad's other infantrymen each armed with the standard loadout and a 15A rifle. Of all the infantry in the Republic Army, I don't think you could find two as good and reliable as they.

Occupying the gunship's ball turrets were two specialized gunners, CT-02/065 and CT-03/074. I hadn't served with the two in training, but I heard the two were pretty much dead-eyes that were on-par with One-Four with a turret. Of course, I wouldn't let him catch me saying that, he'd probably take that as an insult or go into a speech on how a gun turret wasn't a 'real' weapon. CT-05/098 acted as pilot and CT-07/111 the co-pilot; a shame the Republic hadn't any fighters to offer at the moment, the two could probably beat out an entire Sep blockade force by themselves.

With that, the eleven of us made up Squad Alpha-Five stationed aboard Gunship 5187 of the _Relentless_.

"_General Yoda will be spearheading our assault on Separatist military structures, as well as taking up the responsibility of establishing a forward command center_," Four-Two continued briefing.

The hologram image of the Commander disintegrated in favor of a three-dimensional layout of the planet surface around the Arena, which occupied the center of the map. Core Ships of Trade Federation Lucrehulk-class battleships along with Hardcell-class Techno Union transport ships lined the area between the sharply-peaked Geonosian spires.

"_The possibility of enemy resistance is extremely high; you must not forget that this is the Seps' main droid production facilities. Intelligence states that there may very well be over a billion produced Battle Droids ready to be sent out on this planet along – no clue how many are operational. There are no signs of Battle Droids yet, but I-_"

"_What is it, sir?_" quickly asked a Clone from one of the other larties.

"_Strike that, 272nd – advance scouts are reporting that Battle Droids are flooding the Arena even as we speak. The Jedi Strike Team is currently engaged in battle with Separatist forces within the Arena; no word on the fates of General Windu, General Kenobi, Commander Skywalker, or Senator Amidala at the moment. I'm still awaiting orders on how to proceed, but I would be prepared to take off immediately. All pilots, ready last-minute flight checks; tank and walker crews to your stations immediately_," the Commander ordered as he spread his right arm horizontally aside. The image kept on the Commander as he obviously became occupied handing out orders among his own crew, motioning and gesturing to off-screen crew members.

"Check your weapons – can't have any jamming or malfunction reports once we get into the thick of things," Sarge followed-up with as he stood at the head of the gunship.

"That's alright, because hulky over here can be a good shield while we switch out," One-Four sarcastically added as he pointed to Three-Nine with his thumb.

Three-Nine patted the PLX-1 he had laid out, "Watch it or you'll find one of these rounds shoved up your-"

"Cut the chatter you two," Sarge interrupted. "Nine-Eight, One-One, we're expecting the take-off order any minute now; Six-Five, Seven-Four, we'll likely receive heavy fire once we reach the planet surface so you'll have to be ready to give quick responses to orders."

The two gunners replied with a simultaneous "Yes sir," double-checking the control mechanisms in the ball turrets.

"Is there any intelligence on these new-model Battle Droids that are supposedly being produced here?" I asked.

"Only the bare minimum at best; from what I hear, they're taller, bulkier, downright nastier versions of their B-1 predecessors – stay cautious when encountering one. We're expecting the enemy ranks to be primarily filled with B-1 model Battle Droids supplemented by the new models and Destroyers. No intel on any Sep vehicles to speak of, unfortunately; we'll just have to pick out information as we encounter them…or take them apart."

"_Four-Two to all 272nd Legion units: we've been given the order_," the Commander announced as he centered his attention on the transmission once again. "_Hangar doors are opening; deploy all units on the double! Target is the Geonosian Arena. I repeat: target is the Geonosian Arena. Foes in the structure consist of B-1 and B-2 class Battle Droids, Destroyers, and Geonosians. Reports are slowly coming in from our advance scouts that the primary Droid Army has been deployed outside the Arena. All LAATs, take-off immediately!_"

"You heard him, take us out!" Sarge relayed to the pilots.

"On our way, hold tight squad," Nine-Eight informed us through comm systems from the cockpit.

Around us, hordes of larties separated from their docking clamps as they followed the order to head out. I could pick out the Acclamators positioned nearby doing the same, and soon enough the transports filled the space around the capital ships, speeding toward the planet like a meteor storm. Sarge slammed his fist twice on the wall separating us from the cockpit – the signal for the gunship's side hatches to slide closed, effectively shutting out my view of the deployment.

"We'll be receiving more specified orders any moment, sit tight," Sarge informed.

There was a quick jolt, followed by some vibrations along my feet and a whipping roar from the engines as the ship joined the armada. Soon enough, as Sarge promised, the Commander's image returned to the hologram projector, once again bringing the attention of the gunship's occupants to the center.

"_All units, I'll be handing out your advanced orders now. Group Alpha, you'll be infiltrating the Arena from the air along with some other gunships from other teams, including General Yoda's squadron; your task is to pull all surviving Jedi out of that death trap as quickly and efficiently as possible. Latest reports indicate that the Jedi Strike Team is losing badly by the outnumbering Battle Droid security unit, so speed it up. Groups Beta and Chi will prepare for mass deployment and join up with our main forces to spearhead our assault one the Droid Army advancing on the plains. Assist the main force in establishing our forward command center before the Droid Army can overrun our position. Good luck men, Four-Two out._"

And with that, the Commander's image disappeared no sooner than we had taken in our almost suicidal mission.

…_almost_ suicidal.

"So, swoop in over a structure guarded by thousands of Battle Droids and Geonosians, pick up the Jedi that are already spread about in combat in disarray, and leave for the plains without getting shot either on the ground or in the air," Three-Nine reiterated.

"No problem, right?" asked One-Four.

"Not really, no."

"Remember the primary mission objectives; we're not there to fight the Droid Army just yet. Once we get all surviving Jedi aboard, we're taking off – in other words One-Four, keep that hot head of yours cooled down until we get to the plains," Sarge made sure to remind.

"First battle and I don't even get to go all-out from the get-go, how disappointing."

"Oh, I think you'll have plenty of chances for that," I stated.

"Alright hold on, we've arrived in the atmosphere of Geonosis now," Nine-Eight informed the gunship crew.

"Distance to the Arena, pilot?" Sarge asked.

"…er…zero-decimal-zero-one, sir," Nine-Eight muttered.

"…in other words…" began Sarge.

"We're right on top of 'em!" co-pilot One-One proudly yelled.

"Open bay doors. Turret gunners, ready aim; all units prepare for anti-air fire!" Sarge ordered.

As the side hatches slid open, the passenger hold that had been filled with a dreary shade was quickly overtaken by the contrasting light of the Geonosian sun. I stood at the edge, peering at the horizon and the seemingly endless desert plains filtered with mountainous rock formations and spires. The burning orange skies were silhouetted by the wedge-shaped Acclamators as other Republic forces began their landing and deployment.

I then turned my attention below, eyeing the center of the gargantuan coliseum, picking out a collection of blue and green lights, taking special attention to the purple one that stood out; the Jedi's lightsabers were pointed outward at all directions of the perimeter, swinging about to deflect incoming shots as their wielders gathered to form in the center. Surrounding them was a circular horde of besieging Separatist Battle Droids, pouring blaster fire upon the survivors of the Jedi Strike Team as they slowly continued their advance. Suddenly, the sweeps of blaster rounds heading back and forth between the two parties eerily cut off.

The Commander's voice chimed in the comlink of my helmet – an open transmission to all units.

"_What's this? Separatist units have stopped firing and have formed a perimeter around surviving Jedi. Keep up the advance; whatever this is, it'll buy us some time._"

"_Commander, long range open comms are picking up some dialogue from the Arena, it appears to be an announcement by Count Dooku; patching it through now_," reports a Clone.

"…_you have fought gallantly; worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order – but now, it is finished. Surrender, and your lives will be spared_," came a sudden deep, commanding voice presence.

Count Dooku.

"_We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!_" replied General Windu.

"_Then…I'm sorry, old friend._"

"Blast, the Battle Droids are readying weapons again," I announced from my vantage point.

"_Alpha Teams, we're out of time! Move in now!_" ordered the Commander.

I felt the pressure gather around my feet as the gunship began its harsh descent into the Arena. The scene below drew closer as a few other larties dropping quicker than us passed below – assuming the lead was General Yoda's. I could easily pick out several of the Battle Droids raising their blasters to meet us on the way down.

What gracious hosts the Separatists must be.

"Six-Five, Seven-Four, pick off the Destroyers around the drop zone," yelled Sarge over the roar of Sep fire.

"_Around the survivors, a perimeter create._"

From what I heard about General Yoda, he was a cunning warrior; calm even in the thick of battle, with enough wisdom to fill ten fleets worth of ships. As collected as he was though, I could hear the sense of urgency in his voice. I could understand why though; the initial Strike Team was two-hundred and twelve-strong – judging by the circle of survivors, there were no more than twenty left.

On my left was portside gunner Seven-Two, wasting no time carrying out the orders he was issued. As the ball turret rotated about, in a flash the sphere's dome barrel produced a spread of neon green beams centering into a deadly pinpoint laser, unleashing upon the waiting Droidekas within the Separatist ranks below. Personal shields held them only for a moment, as the tri-legged Destroyers soon found their armor pierced across the middle. I took up my rifle once the squad of Destroyers were down, rubbing my index finger along the trigger as I took view of the Battle Droids waiting behind the now-vanquished Destroyers. I felt connected to the rifle's sheer power through the vibration of the recoil as I squeezed the trigger, sinking a round of bolts into the easily-breakable armor of a team of standard B-1 model Battle Droids. Seven-Two joined me on my right as the ship touched down on the desert surface, providing a defense between a portion of the survivors and the Droid Army. I poured fire into one of the menacing Super Battle Droids up ahead; I could pick out the blue flares of my rounds puncturing the droid's chest several times before I finally took it down.

"General, we can take it from here. Hurry and pile in!" I heard a Clone yell in the distance through the storm of enemy fire.

Good, at least the rescue was proceeding well.

"Gunners, cease fire; we don't want to risk hitting our allies, it's far too chaotic to locate allied positions to a tee," Sarge ordered.

"Aye sir, holding fire," replied Six-Five.

Crimson blaster rounds from the Separatist ranks intensified, forcing Seven-Two and I to take cover behind the gunship's opened portside hatch to the right of the ball turret. It gave me an opportunity to see the starboard side – One-Four and One-Three were both down on one knee as they poured covering fire into the opposite end of the Sep ranks, accessible now with the survivors' circle dispersed. The support received from troops aboard other ships landed nearby with the intent of taking in survivors certainly made things easier. Three-Nine was taking cover in the forward section as he loaded a fresh round into his missile launcher. Sarge and Eight-Seven assisted in putting up support fire from just outside the ship.

"Looks like we won't be picking up any new load, squad; the surviving Jedi are all packed in," Sarge yelled through the barrage. "Just keep it up with the covering fire!"

I removed two grenades from my belt – one EMP and thermal each. I tossed the EMP back from behind the wall; as soon as I heard its detonation, I followed up with the detonator. I quickly gestured to Seven-Two with my index and middle fingers toward the right, to which he nodded in reply. Wasting no time following the explosion from the thermal detonator, I immediately withdrew from my cover and put up a heavy barrage into the cloud of smoke, dust, and ripped metal from the grenade; Seven-Two rushed behind me and assisted in the barrage to my left. Easily visible through the cloud were the numerous blue and orange marks each representing either the impact or destruction of a droid.

"Droideka!" yelled One-Four.

"On it," replied Three-Nine.

As Seven-Two and I continued the assault, I could hear behind me the firing off a missile, followed by the intense cracking of the round's impact and the follow-up explosion.

"Good shot, Three-Nine," Eight-Seven congratulated.

"Never accepted anything less."

"Allied LAATs are starting to take off; our job's wrapped up here – take us up, pilot," Sarge commands, slamming his fist twice along the canopy wall as he and Eight-Seven climbed back in.

"Yes sir," Nine-Eight replied, "I'm flying us to rejoin allied forces along the plains."

I turned momentarily in time to see a blaster bolt speed across One-Four's face, just barely missing impact. "Anywhere but _here_ would probably work!"

"Good enough for me, now hold tight," advised One-One.

With all aboard, the ship lifted off from the Arena surface. I continued to lend support by dropping a few more Battle Droids until Seven-Two tapped my forearm.

"The gunners can take it from here; you should probably replenish those two grenades you tossed – this battle's arm from over."

"Agreed, take these," remarked One-Four as he offered a spare EMP and thermal detonator taken from his belt.

"You're sure you won't need them?" I asked while accepting the grenades into my hand.

"Hey, I'm a sniper – extremely long-range is my speciality, and I never did have much of a throwing arm."

"I appreciate it, thanks One-Four."

"Anytime Two-Five, anytime…half the stuff they issue me I'll probably never use anyway."

I took a final look at the Arena as the ship finished gaining altitude and now in the process of joining up with the other LAATs. The horde of Battle Droids that had once filled the structure's ground level – the surviving ones, anyway – were now in the process of dispersing to the exits…

…leaving behind the carnage in its wake. Scores of Jedi corpses, shattered droid wreckage, and even a few Clones killed in the droid counterattack – they were all scattered about the Arena grounds. It mad me angry to witness so many dead Jedi; when learning of our Jedi officers in the early parts of training, they sounded like a band of courageous and noble warriors.

And now, a little fewer than two hundred of them and some of my comrades-in-arms lie dead in the Separatists' wake.

These were the first – and certainly not the last – casualties of a war that will plague the galaxy.

With the infiltration of the Arena complete, we joined formation with the gunship squad heading for the Republic assembly area on the plains, located just adjacent to the foot of a spire formation. A good number of the Acclamators that had pushed for the planet surface had now completed landing procedures on the plains, deployment ramps extended to send out the troops aboard. Thousands of foot soldiers had gathered in front of the vessels escorted by several AT-TEs and TX-130 fighter tanks spread among their ranks. Behind them, a line of mobile assault cannon walkers – the SPHA-Ts – that continued to grow with their supplementation of additional units from the Acclamators.

"You know, it's strange…" Three-Nine suddenly muttered.

"What is?" asked Sarge as he turned his attention away from the assembly area.

"Well this planet is one giant Sep base, right? Yet our gunships were able to escape from the Arena intact without much damage. All I'm saying is that I find it a bit odd no one's shooting at us right now. Where's the anti-air fire?"

No sooner did he finish that sentence, a volley of fire streamed past the lead gunship up ahead – followed up shortly after with a second that tore through the forward section of the ship on the lead's right, engulfing it in a fireball.

"…there it is," I muttered.

"Take evasive action!" Sarge barked.

"Already on it sir, just make sure no one falls out," replied Nine-Eight.

The ship tilted as it began its sharp right turn to both avoid the incoming anti-air fire and maintain formation as the lead gunship began loosing altitude. Everyone aboard grabbed onto one of the handles lined above us; after all, Nine-Eight had a good point, it wouldn't do much good to fall off. Luckily for us the anti-air died out as we lost altitude and closed upon the assembly area, thereby ending the maneuvers to everyone's relief.

"General Yoda and General Windu are landing at the assembly area, we'll follow them down," Nine-Eight informed us.

"Alright; we're to link up with allied forces on the ground as soon as possible anyway," Sarge answered.

The larty formation split up once we flew over the Republic landing area, with several of the ships continuing on as we headed in. We touched down within the ranks, giving me a closer look at the activity taking place within the assembly area. With the exception of the mobile assault cannons, most Republic forces had been deployed and were now on the advance to meet the Droid Army deployed up ahead from the scores of Core Ships and droid factories.

"I'll be taking the gunship to assist our aerial strike teams; good luck," Nine-Eight wished to Sarge.

"Same to you as well; I'll radio in if I could use some air cover," Sarge acknowledged as he stepped out, taking a gaze upon the cockpit.

"Always available, sir," Nine-Eight assured as he formed a salute within the cockpit.

I did the same along with the rest of the squad. The desert sand beneath my boots made a light squeak as the soles cushioned against its surface. I dug my right toes into the sand for a moment, removing them to find the boot's pure white color mucked with a faint orange stain. After standing on the metallic floors of the _Relentless_ and the gunship for so long, it was quite the change of scenery. Sarge walked up next to me as the gunship took off, electrobinoculars in hands and was taking a look through them at the area up ahead.

"The enemy must be advancing on our position by now," I remarked.

"And in greater numbers than I originally guessed." He lowered the scanner from his view and offered themto me, "Have a look for yourself."

I held the electrobinoculars to my visor, peering through them; the display broadcasted a zoomed image of the distant Separatist ranks up ahead.

The lines of Battle Droids and Super Battle Droids seemed to stretch endlessly.

Within the infantry ranks, I could pick out several quad-legged walkers; my guess was that they were some kind of anti-personnel vehicle.

"I received some information on enemy vehicles from one of the field officers just after we landed," Sarge began. "Within the infantry ranks are the Dwarf Spider Droids of the Commerce Guild. Anti-infantry and armor very resistant to small arms fire, so I wouldn't engage one directly with a blaster rifle if you could help it. If you have no choice though, just avoid that anti-infantry blaster and plant a charge."

I brought my view above the infantry ranks to a wheeled vehicle, picking out what looked like missile launchers on both sides.

"What about the wheeled unit?"

"Hailfire Droid constructed by the InterGalactic Banking Clan; just leave those to the gunships, there isn't much you could do to it. It acts as fast-acting ground-to-ground or ground-to-air missile artillery; in addition, there's a pair of blasters on the forward underside, so never approach one from the front."

One of the vehicles truly stood out – towering above the Separatist forces was a four-legged spider walker, which I guessed was somehow related to the Dwarf Spider Droids.

"And the large spider walkers?"

"Homing Spider Droids of the Commerce Guild, meant for heavier ground attacks. The walkers and gunships can take care of them; avoid the anti-personnel cannon mounted beneath its body."

Spotting nothing else I didn't recognize already, I lowered the scanner and handed it back to Sarge.

"I didn't spot any myself, but there's good reason to believe they have AATs as well. You remember the data gathered from the Battle of Naboo, right?"

"Of course, every detail," I replied.

"They also passed along intelligence on a tank droid of the Corporate Alliance, the Persuader-class enforcer. The thing is a fortress on treads, stay away from any you encounter."

"I didn't see anything of that sort out there, what does it look like?"

"It's a round tank – three treads, one on each side, and a large one in the middle. The sides are lined with laser cannons and ion cannons, and the thing has torpedoes, thermal dets, and concussion missiles as well."

"…you were right, that's quite the droid."

"Well regardless, I need to pass all of that along to the rest of the squad. We'll be commencing our attack fairly soon, and be prepared to receive enemy fire at time."

"Understood."

As Sarge rushed off, I drew the small hand-carried vibroblade I carried on my belt, leveling it with my left hand to bear the blade away from the rifle while using the same hand to support the rifle – holding the barrel with the hand's thumb, index, and middle fingers, and clasping the knife handle with the other two. I kept the two down, but was ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Here we go.


	3. Chapter 2: Into the Thick

**Part I: Emergency**

**Chapter 2 – Into the Thick**

"Forward! Keep up the pressure against those spider walkers!" a Captain that I ran past shouted over the roar of AT-TE fire.

An extremely thick blanket of heavy cannon fire from the forward quad lasers and mass driver cannons on each of the hundreds of Republic walkers intensified, passing over my head. The cannon bolts mostly streamed over the lines of the Battle Droids – thankfully they weren't the target. The spherical bodies of the imposing Homing Spider Droids found themselves on the receiving end of the barrage; a few were shelled into the ground, collapsing the legs along with it.

With several comrades on both sides and a few platoons up ahead on the frontline, I rushed alongside the mass advance into the ranks of the Droid Army. Many of the Clones in front of me received hits by the increasingly accurate droid fire, sending them back and freezing them on the battlefield as we scurried past their corpses. I could pick out numerous lightsabers being drawn on all sides – Jedi generals leading platoons into battle. The forward lines commenced fire; hundreds, thousands of Republic blue blaster fire lunged into the Separatist Army, topping countless Battle Droids on the Seps' frontlines. Jedi leaped into the droids as the two sides exchanged fire; Battle Droids had quite a few weaknesses, but the greatest had to have been getting sliced through by a lightsaber.

…then again, that was _everything's_ weakness. The gearheads were especially good at it, though.

As the survivors of the squads in front of me broke into the droid lines, I brought my weapon sights parallel to the horde of Seps. I unloaded round after bolt as I rushed in, dropping as many among the gearhead swarm that I could bring into my sight as crimson bolts sped past me on all sides. I soon found myself deep in the enemy lines as well, coming into melee range to knock a Super Battle Droid to the ground with my rifle. I planted my foot on the droid's torso before it could right itself, sinking a round into its head at point-blank. Two Battle Droids attempted to surround me by positioning from behind and at my left flank – good for droids, but futile nonetheless. I thrust my foot back, planting the droid to the ground as I plunged my knife into the other's torso. Dark fluid and sparks emerged around the wound as I removed the blade, sending the unit deactivated and limp to the sand. I leveled the rifle upon the one behind me as it attempted to rise, finishing it.

By now, the crossfire between the Republic and Separatist Armies had morphed into a melee skirmish between Clones and Battle Droids, with the Republic initially managing to push back the Separatists. Gunships soared overhead, cleaning out nearby Hailfire Droids with quick strikes by pinpoint lasers. Before it was taken out, one managed to fire a pair of missiles – and soon afterward, I heard a roaring explosion that had actually managed to quake the ground. Taking a quick look behind me, I discovered the source – fire and smoke billowing from a lethal puncture in the side of a walker, the black smoke trails from the missiles still faintly leading to it. I could pick out the Clones around the walker taking cover; the ones closest to the damage already collapsed and dead.

I turned back to the battle at hand – only to find a Dwarf Spider advancing on my position. The droid opened up with its blaster, forcing me to execute a somersault to my right. With no time available, I raised my blaster to the Spider Droid while still on one knee to plant two shots – one in each primary visual receptor. I advanced on the blinded droid from the side, blasting gearheads along the way – then proceeded to grab hold of the spider's barrel and plant my foot along its side.

It was crazy. It was unorthodox.

…it would probably work, too.

I thrust my foot in, and with a bit of force, successfully knocked it upside down. The spider's antenna dug into the sand, the spherical main body touched the ground. I took hold of two of the droid's legs – operating it like any gun turret – and spun it toward the Separatist ranks, made easy by the round body. I figured I should simulate an attack on the droid if I wanted to make it fire – a series of violent kicks in the back of its body took care of that. Numerous Battle Droids fell as victims to the combined attacks from my spreading rifle barrage and the deadly heavy blaster fire of the Dwarf Spider, its shots forceful enough to send droids flying back into others still, crippling them.

"Oh, you must be kidding me," One-Four muttered as he moved in behind me, flanked by other Clone advance units.

"It's _working_, isn't it? Just back me up!" I answered back, unrelenting in the barrage against the increasing Sep forces ahead.

"Yeah…got it…" One-Four acknowledged as he rushed to position himself adjacent to me, raising his sniper rifle to support my barrage with series of carefully aimed shots into several droid heads. Three additional Clones from other units supported the attack as well, and soon enough the gearhead horde before us wasn't even able to get a shot off before getting a bolt fatally planted in them. As I continued the barrage, I shifted my eyes aside to see yet another Dwarf Spider being advanced upon by a squad of Clones – only to have the droid self-destruct in their faces. When the explosion cleared, all that remained were four dead Clones trampled on by advancing Super Battle Droids.

I looked down at 'our' Dwarf Spider. Through our combined successful barrage, I failed to notice it had stopped firing – and was also emitting a faint series of repeating beeps; the time between each beep gradually shortened.

"…One-Four…" I started.

"What!?" he shouted back, clearly annoyed.

"Run, _now_."

With all the adrenaline I could muster, I ran in the opposite direction as quickly as I could; One-Four and the other troopers followed close behind. Luckily, the five of us escaped the blast radius of the droid's self-destructed just as the spider blew. We formed a perimeter to continue the defense against the continuing waves of Battle Droids; I continued to fire down forward areas.

"Self-destruct, that's a new one," one of the Clones remarked.

"At least it worked for a little while," I reminded.

As we continued to attack the infantry, a nearby Hailfire Droid drawing close to our position received a beam laser straight down the middle, splitting the craft in two. The area between the two pieces was filled with spreading flames, smoke, and debris before the entire vehicle went. The gunship that had fired the shot passed overhead as it fired a volley of missiles – I couldn't see the target from here, probably another droid vehicle. Several hundred Republic troopers joined us on both sides, and I noticed that the Droid Army was beginning to fall back while fighting.

One-Four tapped my shoulder, "I came to find you because the squad's forming back up for the advance, follow me."

Leaving the others to the attack, One-Four and I rushed through the expanding Republic line, dashing past numerous troopers and keeping well away from the bolts emitting from the tips of their blaster rifles. A cargo gunship touched down up ahead, releasing yet another AT-TE into the Republic arsenal. As soon as the larty departed, the walker began treading, main cannon up top ablaze at the barrel. We took a turn back into the droid ranks to find Sarge, Three-Nine, and One-Three keeping back the droid forces.

"I found Two-Five, sir; any word on the others?" One-Four asked.

Sarge momentarily turned to acknowledge my return to the squad with a nod before focusing on the battle. "Eight-Seven is on his way now, but there's no word from Seven-Two."

"Scratch that sir; I'm receiving a communication from Eight-Seven." One-Three paused for a moment, "He says he's found Seven-Two, but he's sustained a minor blaster burn from a grazed shot. Eight-Seven has administered him emergency bacta; the two are heading back now."

"Hey Sarge, you should hear what Two-Five tried with a Spider Droid!" One-Four felt inclined to brag for whatever reason.

"Later, One-Four; focus on the battle at hand."

Sarge waved his hand forward, signaling numerous infantrymen behind us. They began a mass advance into the Separatist ranks as he then gestured for us to follow. With support fire from One-Four – dropping quite a few Battle Droids ahead with perfect headshots – I rushed into the fray. I gutted a Battle Droid attempting to close in on me, spilling large amounts of oil all over its body as I moved the blade down his torso. Simultaneously, I took up my rifle with my right hand. The thing had a monster of a recoil, but the blasted droids were so bunched together chances are I'd hit _something_ anyway. Turns out I had better control over the kick than I thought, I easily punctured through a line of droids as the rest of the squad rushed in the hole I was in the middle of creating. Eight-Seven and Seven-Two came up behind me, rifles already finishing off droids as they approached.

"Seven-Two, how's that wound?" I asked as we put up a barrage with the others.

"It'll hold, will we?"

"From what I can tell, we're pushing the Separatists back here. I have no clue about the other sections."

"I believe we're pushing them in general; the Republic mostly controls the airspace around the plains," Eight-Seven confirmed.

"Good to see you two made it back!" Sarge yelled from up ahead. "I've received a set of specialized mission parameters; we're going to need the whole squad for this."

"What do you mean, sir?" Three-Nine asked.

"I'll go over the primary objectives once we reach the rally point; I'm marking it on your HUD now."

As soon as he finished that sentence, a small arrow pointed to the upper left along with a distance marker – seven-decimal-two-nine – appeared on the lower section of my visor.

"We're heading to that spire over there, just past the main Sep lines," Sarge revealed as he pointed toward one of the distant, towering Geonosian peaks in the direction of the arrow.

And of course, placed next to it – a Trade Federation Core Ship; if that didn't scream 'Sep base', I'm not sure what else could.

With Sarge at the lead, the squad broke off from the primary advance forces. We rushed head-on into the Droid Army in direction of the marked spire; a wall of bolts poured from the barrels of our blaster rifles and taking down any Battle Droid that stood in our way. As we ran, Three-Nine holstered his 15S on his shoulder and took up his missile launcher; I was impressed, that PLX is quite the heavy weapon that usually required its wielder to remain prone while shooting, yet Three-Nine was able to control it while running. He twisted a switch along the launcher's side as he brought the scope to his visor.

"I hope you're planning on using that against the Droideka," One-Four remarked, referring to a Destroyer putting up a barrage of blaster cannons, pinning down a unit of allied forces.

"No, it's just my gift to you – open wide."

"Just shoot the blasted thing!"

Smoke poured out from the rear exhaust port of the launcher as a missile flew out of the PLX's barrel, propelling toward the Droideka. The heavy round easily bypassed the droid's shield and impacted the Destroyer, turning it into a smoldering pile of debris within moments.

The five remaining troopers of the unit surveyed the fallen three, one placing his fingers along each of their necks.

"They're all dead," he relayed to the rest of the squad.

"Hey, you're Alpha-Five squad, aren't you?" the squad's acting officer asked, identification data from his visor probably showcasing us as such. "We'll back you up as you close in on the spire, sir," he told the Sergeant.

Our rush toward the target was soon reinforced by these five troopers, assisting in our breaking through the Separatist lines guarding the spire.

"So, you're part of the 272nd Regiment of the _Relentless_ as well?" Sarge asked in the chaos.

"Chi-Two Squad; by the way, how was the Arena?"

"One large mess," Three-Nine casually replied.

The spire drew closer as our group picked up speed. The droids seemed to turn their primary attention toward the main Republic advance forces, so at least we weren't being tasked with charging directly through the Droid Army. That still didn't mean the Seps completely disregarded putting up guard forces to protect the spire. Battle Droids took up defensive positions around the spire's perimeter, barraging our constantly mobile position with scattered, distant fire that seemingly wasn't capable of coming even close to hitting.

How typical of a droid.

"Sarge, you still never really explained why we're doing this," One-Three reminded him.

"Maybe he thinks we need to get in better shape," One-Four added.

"During a _battle_, how utterly brilliant of you, One-Four," Three-Nine immediately countered.

"Cut the chatter squad, I'll go over the mission objectives once we reach the entrance; Command wants to keep this on the down-low," Sarge explained, planting a round into a far-off droid after a repeated barrage. He gestured to the remaining hostiles as droid blaster bolts passed between our team. "It's too dangerous to continue advancing, and we can't take them with conventional rifles. One-Four, take out the rest from here."

"Provide covering fire!" yelled one of the Clones from Chi as we stopped.

One-Four quickly got into a prone position, laying out his sniper rifle across the sand as he brought the scope to his visor. The five Chi-Two troopers got down on one knee and sighted ahead with their rifles; our squad prepared to do the same, taking up positions behind One-Four – One-Three, Eight-Seven, and Seven-Two guarded the rear as Sarge and I kept our sights ahead, all the while Three-Nine kept down and loaded another missile.

"Don't you need a spotter? Or…at least a recon droid?" one of the Chi Clones asked our sniper as he checked his clip in the 15x.

He merely laughed as he twisted the focus along the scope, pretty much implying his response. "Five targets: looks like two Supers, three standards…and that one's a sniper." He immediately fired a shot; I could pick out one of the droids falling to the ground. With the 'death' of the droid, the others started barraging our position again; I assisted Sarge and the Chis in establishing covering fire, though the recoil from the rifle didn't allow us to score any hits at such a long distance.

"Interesting, the Supers are grouped together; this definitely won't take long," One-Four remarked as he fired another two shots in rapid succession. He ejected the magazine from his 15x and reached for another placed along his belt – locked in, he readied the scope again.

"Let's see…hits confirmed, just two more now…" One-Four muttered.

"Look out, soldier!" Sarge yelled as he tapped one of the Chi unit troopers with his foot.

Too late to notice it now – a round hit that Clone in the chest. The large, black, smoldering burn mark vastly contrasted with the pureness of his white armor as the shot thrusted his body to crash back into the desert sand.

"Damn gearheads…" One-Four whispered to himself as he fired again. He moved the rifle across slightly, pressing the scope upon the eye portion of his visor, "Last target…" the tip of the barrel flashed, his final bolt soured into the spire perimeter. We only had to assume One-Four scored the hit, because the droid fire suddenly halted. Sarge took up his macrobinoculars to oversee the base of the spire, nodded, and leaned forward to pat One-Four on the shoulder.

"Hits confirmed, nice shooting as always."

"What about him?" I asked, referring to the fallen comrade as our group eased our positioning.

Eight-Seven took up the Clone in his arms, injecting some emergency bacta into his neck. We all knew he was dead, so I guess you can say what he was trying to do was unnecessary and a waste of time. However, I could honestly say it lifted a weight off our shoulders – at least we didn't leave our brother behind to die.

"…go, we'll back you up from here," the Chi leader assured us, his voice grim over the loss of another teammate. "Good luck."

We took up our blasters as we charged for the spire, just in case the Droid Army decided to replace the fallen guard.

Behind us, we heard the Chi leader, "Heads up, incoming droids. For our fallen – all units, forward!"

There was silence among the squad as we made our way for the spire – nothing except the blaster fire traded between the two armies as the battle drew on.

Nothing _needed_ to be said.

"The door is locked, sir," Seven-Two remarked as we reached the foot of the spire and a large, sealed metallic hatch.

"Well _thank_ you, I never would've realized that otherwise!" Three-Nine answered, pulling a charge from his belt. "Stand back."

He planted it upon the control panel along the side of the door, hitting a few keys on the explosive and backed away. It only produced a small detonation effect, but it was enough to blow the lock and open the door…

…to be met by a squad of four Battle Droids.

"What the…?" one of them began.

"Shoot to kill!"

"Roger ro-" he was quickly silenced by the bolt that punctured his torso from the barrel of my rifle. Sarge, Three-Nine, and Seven-Two took care of the others; One-Four and I moved ahead, taking up defensive positions.

"Clear," One-Four reported.

"All clear, no hostiles sighted," I followed up.

"Alright squad, listen up," Sarge began as the formation was re-joined and we all shifted our attention to him, "This mission was already attempted by a squad of commandos – they never made it out. Our other special forces are tied up at the moment, so command had to pick-and-choose from the regular infantry. We were chosen for our performance in training."

"So we were selected for a mission that even commandos failed at – makes me feel all warm and special inside, clearly," One-Four remarked.

"Our target is a Geonosian production facility based at this spire."

"So why can't we just utilize the quick method – call Nine-Eight and have him bomb it?" Three-Nine asked.

"It's _underground_, laser-brain," Sarge countered. "We're not entirely sure how deep it extends; the commando squad didn't get very far. However, we have three primary objectives; first objective is the facility's main power plant, we need to either destroy it or shut it down. Second objective is to target and destroy the loaded Droid Dispensers before they could be shipped out; remember that there _is_ a Core Ship attached to the spire, so we have to work quickly before the majority can be shipped off-planet. Our final objective is the Battle Droid factory itself – it needs to be destroyed by any means necessary."

"Resistance level?" Eight-Seven asked.

"Very high – expect no less."

"Speaking of which, rifles up!" I warned as I did so, having spotted a Super Battle Droid slowly advancing on our position.

"Do not move, Republic scum," he ordered in its deep, monotone voice as it proceeded to raise its wrist blaster.

I was the first to start filling the corridor with blaster fire, soon joined by the rest of the squad. We were in the entrance corridor, meaning we had no place to take cover in; that droid had to go down quickly before it was able to counterattack. Luckily, that's just what we did – the droid toppled face-down with smoking punctures all throughout its body.

As we continued down the corridor, One-Four lightly tapped his foot on the fallen droid, enough to flip it over.

"Poor thing, he could've made a great protocol droid."

"Or a bartender," Three-Nine added.

"Keep your focus ahead you two!" Sarge disciplined. "We could be attacked by Seps at any moment."

"Any intelligence on what direction we're going?" I asked.

"I have a datapad with a limited map loaded on it…but when I say limited, I truly mean it. It only lasts down to the end of this corridor; that's where contact with the commando squad was lost," Sarge explained.

"Great, _really_ looking forward to that," One-Four unenthusiastically remarked.

"At least we know where we can find a potential trap, we can stage a method to counter after a little recon," Sarge attempted to reassure as we reached another sealed door.

"Right, breaching the door now," Three-Nine informed the squad as he activated a charge, placing it in the middle of the door. Same as the last one, it was only enough to blow the lock on the door and force it open.

One-Three and I immediately took up our rifles in the doorway. We scanned the area to find another short corridor leading to what looked like a war room, filled with several consoles and hologram displays. Strangely enough though, no one was occupying it – Republic or Separatist.

"Sir, look over there!" Seven-Two directed Sarge as he pointed to the war room's floor – occupied by the corpses of three Clone commandos spread throughout the room. All were lying on their backs, arms sprawled while still grasping their DC-17m blasters.

"I don't understand; I'm not picking up any hostiles…" contemplated One-Three.

"Maybe the ones that got them already retreated deeper into the facility," Three-Nine theorized.

"But why would the Seps just abandon this block?" asked One-Four.

"If they're trying to evacuate Battle Droids into the Core Ship, it's not _entirely_ unheard of," I added. "I'll check it out."

"No, we'll take the safe method. Eight-Seven, don't you have a recon droid on you?" asked Sarge.

"Good thinking sir, I doubt we'll see much use of it anyway since _someone_ doesn't seem to want to use it when they should," he remarked as he referred his thumb to One-Four.

"Hey, when a sniper's as deadly and efficient as me, recon droids and spotters are a thing of-"

"Later, One-Four; Eight-Seven, send out the R-1 and have it survey the area – and don't forget to tap its visuals into our displays." Sarge commanded.

Eight-Seven reached for a palm-sized sphere nestled on the left side of his belt, raising it to eye-level. The droid's antennas extended from the main body as Eight-Seven took his hand away; the R-1 floated in front of the squad as its main sensor turned for the war room. A small display showcasing things from the droid's point of view appeared in the top left corner of my visor display.

"Alright, I'm sending it on ahead…" informed Eight-Seven.

The droid proceeded down the short corridor, coming upon the war room rather quickly. It shifted its visuals around the room, giving me a better idea of just how filled this room was consoles, displays, and other seemingly important equipment one could use to direct the battle. Of course, it wasn't the main one – we all knew that from intelligence – but it still seemed to be a crucial area. I contemplated over just how the Seps could merely leave such an important area to be captured as the droid continued its surveillance, when suddenly, I got my answer.

Automated turrets emitted from the ceiling in all directions and swiftly dealt with our droid by blasting it into a million pieces, taking the entire squad by surprise.

"Take cover!" yelled Sarge.

We split ourselves and pressed against both sides of the corridor as a few of the stray rounds passed between us, ending up impacting the floor. With the droid finished, the fire halted and the turrets retracted to their hidden positions in the wall.

"No doubt, it has to be a security system the Seps left in the room before they evacuated," I concluded.

The squad left their cover positions, and I took up the lead. Proceeding slowly and carefully into the small corridor beyond the doorway, I switched my visor setting to its thermal setting, uncovering a series of sensor beams laid out across the war room. Sarge came up to me and did the same; we both examined the area for a good moment.

"The security sensors are horizontally placed across the room – looks like five levels," I explained.

"Enough to catch anyone trying to head through by means of walking easily, but take a look at the bottom," Sarge pointed out.

He was right; there was a space between the floor and the first sensor beam – enough for one to crawl between.

Sarge turned about to the squad, "Alright, we're proceeding through."

"With all due respect, sir…did you happen to be asleep when those turrets blasted our droid?" Three-Nine asked.

"There's enough room for us to crouch through the security system; we have to go _now_, time is short. We have to shut this place down before the Seps can ship this army off-planet."

Not waiting for objections any longer, Sarge got onto his stomach and proceeded to crawl into the war room. I joined in behind him; there was no other way through, and our objectives were waiting in the path up ahead. I could hear my teammates behind me get on the ground and do the same; soon enough, there we were, a line of Clones crawling through a Geonosian war room. Proceeding through the room, I knew there was enough room to not hit the sensors (provided no sudden movements of course), but I can't say I wasn't fearful. With the security system activated, this room was a death trap waiting for any unsuspecting passer-through. A few drops of sweat ran down my face, dispersing as they touched my helmet. Luckily, the turrets hadn't revealed themselves; I carefully ran my fingers across the side of my helmet and switched to thermals again to see how much further we needed to crawl – only a few rows of sensors to pass now.

Sarge was the first through, immediately taking up a defensive position as the rest of us were still crawling through. Soon enough, I cleared the security system and joined Sarge; rifle and knife to the ready as the others continued on their way through.

And good timing, too – six Battle Droids and two Supers were on their way from up ahead.

"Located the source of the intruder alert; commencing Security Protocol five-two-seven."

"Roger, roger."

"I wonder what Security Protocol five-two-seven could possibly be," I muttered sarcastically.

"Two-Five and I can handle the droids, squad; the rest of you must proceed through the war room as carefully as possible." Sarge rose his rifle to eye-level, "Two-Five, think we can take so many on by our lonesome?"

I formed a hidden smile behind my helmet as I did the same with my own blaster, "It's what we were trained to do, right?"

Sarge chuckled, "You have a point there."

We took that as a call to arms; those Battle Droids soon found themselves on the receiving end of a massive spray of fire as Sarge and I opened up our barrage. Four of the B1s were dropped immediately as the others responded in kind, forcing the two of us to take cover behind the walls of the war room on both sides of the doorway.

"We can't let them get a clear shot at the squad!" Sarge yelled through the droids' blaster fire.

"Yeah, that would be nice!" One-Four added from the line.

"I'll head in close and take them from there, I just need you to provide covering fire sir," I quickly offered.

Sarge only nodded in reply, breaking his cover to fire at the droids as I rushed in, rifle barrel ablaze with the fatal bolts that heavily punctured and knocked down one of the Supers.

Three left.

The Super Battle Droid narrowed its wrist cannons on my position, relentless in its assault. As I rushed into the droid formation, I leaned aside to evade the blaster cannons and leveled my sights upon the droid's torso. The next few shots sent it reeling, collapsing to the ground as the two standard Battle Droids took its place. As luck would have it though, I was in proper melee combat range – and proceeded to thrust my knife into the chest of one of the droids. Simultaneously, I planted my rifle upon the stabbed droid's shoulder and quickly took it down with a few shots at point-blank. As both droids fell, I turned to see my squadmates clearing the war room, forming up with Sarge.

"Two-Five, below you!" yelled Seven-Two.

I turned my gaze to the Super Battle Droid on the ground, struggling to rise as it leveled its wrist blaster upon me. Before it could act, I slammed my foot on the droid's torso and brought my rifle on its head, touching the droid with its barrel. One shot was all it took.

Sarge waved his fingers ahead, motioning to the corridor laid out before us.

"Let's press on."


	4. Chapter 3: Raiding the Core

**Part I – Emergency**

**Chapter 3: Raiding the Core**

The door blew open; we marched in with weapons raised and surveyed the area - nothing but another empty room surrounded by rocks and dirt, the only sign of modernization being its metallic floor. We cautiously proceeded onward, knowing it was entirely possible to be attacked by gearheads at any moment.

"This is Zero-Nine to Command – we've breached the spire's underground section; advise you don't send in additional reinforcements due to entrance traps," reported Sarge.

"_Four-Two here, copy that Zero-Nine; what's your ETA to the main power generator?_"

"We're one level above it now, sir – though there's something strange. While we have encountered resistance, it seems to be at minimum levels at best."

"_Battle Droids?_"

"Should we expect something else?"

"_Many of our squads have reported coming under ambush by Geonosians._"

"Lovely – bugs and droids, what a combination," I muttered.

"_In regards to your minimum encountering of resistance - best I can guess is that the Separatists have retreated to the inner levels to gather and rally their forces._"

"I was thinking the same thing – this defense seems too weak for a structure attached to a Core Ship," contemplated Sarge.

"Sir, lift ahead," One-Three pointed out as we closed in upon the door at the opposite end of the cave-like room.

"Toss me a breach charge," Sarge asked. Three-Nine dug out a small charge from his belt, passing it to Sarge who in-turn placed it on the center of the door, setting the detonation sequence. We backed off as the door lock was blown; luckily, the lift was spacious enough to fit all of us as we crowded in.

"_What's your status, Alpha-Five squad?_"

"Just in the lift now; we're proceeding to the power generator," answered Sarge.

"_Check in again once you complete the first objective. Advise you prioritize shutting it down - only destroy it if necessary._"

"Will do, Commander; Zero-Nine out."

Once the hatch closed up, I could immediately follow the floor trying to pull away from my feet as the lift chamber dropped a level.

"Rifles up; prepare for immediate assault," advised Sarge.

Sarge, One-Three, Seven-Two, and I readied to attack ahead as Three-Nine, One-Four, and Eight-Seven covered the rear. The door slowly opened; I attempted to peer through as it did so to pick out just how many hostiles we were about to deal with - to no avail unfortunately. I could see Battle Droids and Super Battle Droids, but they were too far away to get an accurate number out of it.

We cleared the elevator doorway, rushing the power generator almost immediately to get the jump on them. We found ourselves in a rather large chamber surrounded by rock and sand making up the walls, ceiling, and floor. Occupying the far end was a large metallic cylindrical tower; its interior was filled with two large energy beams emitting from the top and bottom that met in the middle – all surrounded by glass. To my right, there was a console perched upon the edge of raised ground flanked by knee-length metallic walls and staircases leading up to it on both sides. I could also spot a door built in the wall at the far end behind the console.

One of the Supers turned about, noticing our rush, "Intruders spotted, subdue them!"

For whatever reason, I could only see how many there were once they turned toward us in preparation for mechanized slaughter. I swiftly counted the amount – an opposition of ten Battle Droids and four Supers. In brains, we had them beat; in numbers though, this was a problem.

As their red bolts started to flash by us, Sarge gestured to the console while breaking off his advance and headed for the stairs. Before I turned to join his lead, One-Three and I put up support fire to allow the rest of the squad proceed to cover safely. Our shots primarily impacted the ground, kicking up the dust from the natural floor to provide a screen between us and the gearheads to further throw off their attacks. Through the cloud came two sparks; I noticed two of the Battle Droids collapse to the ground to go along with them, one getting a final shot off beforehand – straight into the air.

One-Three tapped my shoulder, directing me to the console where the others were waiting. I replied with one quick nod, and we simultaneously broke off and let the droids to our backs as we ran up the stairs. Relentless blaster cannon fire barely grazed past me, hitting the wall along my right as I ducked – definitely from one of the Supers, I recognized the firing pattern well. We cleared the stairs and knelt behind the small metallic wall along the left side of the console – met by Three-Nine and Eight-Seven, with One-Four, Seven-Two, and Sarge taking up the right wall. The droid fire didn't let up; they continued hitting our cover despite the protection.

"Sarge, should we attempt to shut down the generator?" Seven-Two yelled over the barrage.

"It isn't worth it to get _shot_ in the process, Clone. Hold tight, we need to clear the room of Separatist forces before we do anything," Sarge responded.

"Let's get on it, then," One-Four remarked.

Sarge gestured to Eight-Seven, Three-Nine, and One-Three, "You three will commence a general attack on the Battle Droids." They nodded in reply as they readied their weapons; Sarge then pointed his thumb at One-Four and Seven-Two, "You two, concentrate on any Battle Droids that attempt to storm our position, should they do so." Sarge readied his own blaster, staring directly at me as I did the same with my rifle, "Two-Five, you and I will hit the Supers."

"Got it."

Together, we peered over the barricade and immediately got to work. As I leveled my sights upon one of the two Super Battle Droids, I could see three Battle Droids breaking off from the main group and attempting to rush the staircase near One-Four and Seven-Two – who promptly interrupted that with blaster fire.

I unleashed rounds upon the Super I had targeted, taking special care to hit its head despite the difficulty of doing so due to the distance. My initial attacks forced it back – even blew its left arm off, but the droid was clearly built to take some abuse. The droid simply leveled its wrist cannon onto me once again and continued blatantly firing on my position to the point that it forced me to temporarily duck behind my cover. I caught a break in its fire overhead, immediately taking advantage by lifting myself back above my cover and planting the last, fatal rounds into its chest. The one-armed Super fell back, pushed by the numerous punches in its body.

"Nicely done, Two-Five; this 15S of mine doesn't have the same kick as your rifle, so let's work together on this other Super," Sarge yelled from the other side of the console.

"On it, sir," I replied as I moved my weapon sights over the droids – catching one receiving a fatal hit from one of my squadmates – until I reached the other Super. It had a few light wounds along its chest, but nothing truly fatal. That changed rather quickly when I commenced my support barrage, inflicting some truly fatal hits through the side of its torso. Sarge's latest attack wave broke through the droid's armor as well; as tough as it was, it couldn't stand up against the unrelenting bombardment of two determined Clones. Sparks and even some light flames emitted from the wounds of the droid's torn body as it fell along the direction of our barrage.

"Clean out the rest; make sure to watch the door," Sarge ordered.

"Keeping an eye on the rear," Seven-Two reported.

Only two left now, and I already had my sight on one of the opposing droids. After battling a couple of Super Battle Droids, you realize just how feeble the standard model is. Downing the target only took a few shots into its midsection (though it depleted my clip in the process), and One-Four took out the other shortly after. I ejected the now-empty clip from my rifle, inserting a fresh one in its place from my belt – with the droids gone, it made the reloading process much easier.

We stood freely again as Seven-Two persisted in keeping his eyes on the door to our rear; Eight-Seven immediately got to work on the console.

"Shutting down the power generator now, this should be pretty straightforward," he announced. "Wait…blast, this isn't good." He stopped right then, shaking his head.

"What is it?" Sarge asked.

"The Seps installed an override command; it's impossible to shut it down at this point, cracking this would take several hours at least."

"I'm ready to implement Plan B, sir," Three-Nine proudly announced, removing the PLX-1 from storage on his back and taking up a position on the top of one of the staircases.

Sarge's gaze became fixated on the console, "This is Sergeant Zero-Nine of Alpha-Five Squad to command."

"_Four-Two here – what's the situation, Zero-Nine?_"

"We've reached the power generator and cleared all resistance, but we can't get past the Seps' lockout codes to shut it down."

"I'll take the console apart and have a look at it," Eight-Seven added.

"_We don't have time for that. It'll alert the Core Ship to your presence earlier than I hoped, but we have no choice – squad, you are clear to destroy the power generator._"

"Already a step ahead of you, Commander," Three-Nine answered as he brought his launcher's scope into view.

"_Three-Nine, you only need to hit the generator directly in the core. Without it acting as a regulator, the power within the generator will critically overload and cause a complete shutdown of the system._"

"Got it, I'm-"

"_Advise you do it much farther away than _that_, unless you want to end up like the Battle Droids you just fried on the way in._"

"…good plan, sir."

We did exactly as suggested, with the entirety of the squad quickly rushing to the door behind us – keeping rifles up of course, in case the Seps decided to check in with how we were doing. Seven-Two and One-Three kept their eyes on the door while the rest of us turned back to the power generator to watch the light show. Three-Nine got down on one knee, continuing where he left off as he brought the launcher's scope to his visor again. Exhaust spit out of the PLX-1's rear port as a single round rocketed toward the power generator. The glass surrounding the generator was easily broken through as the missile plummeted through, finally impacting the generator's core. The resulting explosion of the regulator shattered the rest of the glass easily; the energy beams spilled into one another, and that certainly wasn't good for the structure itself.

"Quick, breach this door to make sure we don't get caught in the explosion," ordered Sarge on-the-spot.

Just as Seven-Two was ready to plant a detonation charge, we heard a loud knocking upon it.

"What's going on in there!?" yelled someone from the other side; judging by the accent, he sounded Neimoidian.

Sarge merely raised his hand, informing us not to respond. Our attention was still too heavily placed on the gargantuan explosion that was now headed our way. A massive spread of flames and smoke climbed up the stairs and completely engulfed the console.

At least that took care of the override.

Luckily though, it subdued just past there. Good thing too – not only were we still alive, but now we could concentrate on the Neimoidian and whatever army he had waiting on the other side of the door.

…and speaking of the Neimoidian: "That's it, whichever of you droids are in charge will have to answer to me for this insubordination!"

The door opened, and the Neimoidian ready to enter was met by my blaster rifle in his face with Seven-Two and One-Three covering both of his sides.

"I don't think there _are_ too many Neimoidians in the Republic Army; I guess we're safe," I answered him.

Sarge rushed past us and pressed his blaster against the Neimoidian's green skin. "Hands over your head, get on the ground _now_!" he sharply hollered.

"A-a-alright, just don't shoot!" the Neimoidian quivered, doing precisely as he was told. With the four of us leveling our weaponry upon the reptile-man's fancy cone-shaped hat, Sarge held out his hand toward the unoccupied members of the squad.

"Anybody have a pair of binders on them?"

"What do you think we are, the RSF?" One-Four countered.

In response, Sarge squatted as he again pressed his DC-15S's barrel in the Neimoidian's cheek, "Move even one millimeter and you're dead, do we understand each other?"

"Yes, just…please…" the Sep dryly whispered.

"What's your name and position?"

"L-Lune Mabruuk, I'm the supervisor of this factory block. I was just coming in to check on the power generator."

"What power generator?" One-Four remarked, snickering.

"You're actually lucky you didn't arrive any earlier, otherwise you'd be a smoldering pile of green rubbish along with all of the droid wreckage."

"Hmph…you white-armored genetic freak," Mabruuk muttered aggressively.

"If you think we're the freaks, I guess you never saw yourself in the mirror. I can understand that though, you probably haven't spent much time in the bathroom, you _dirty_ pond scum," Sarge countered, twisting the barrel in Mabruuk's cheek.

"_Zero-Nine, this is Command – do you copy?_"

Sarge merely locked his gaze on the subdued Mabruuk – frankly, it started to scare me; I never saw him act this savagely before.

"…sir, it's the Commander," I attempted to remind him.

I seemed to get through to him; he quickly shook his head and lightly tapped the side of his helmet. "My apologies sir, Zero-Nine reporting in."

"_I need a status report; did you manage to destroy the power generator?_" Commander Four-Two asked.

"Yes, and just afterward we caught ourselves a Neimoidian – Lune Mabruuk, says he's in charge of this block."

"_I assume you've taken him prisoner?_"

"Aye, sir."

"_I prefer we keep him, however you need to continue with your mission. We can't risk sending another detachment in either, the battle outside is too crucial to pull forces away from. You guys are in luck though, there's a detention complex located exactly one level below your current position. It's on the way to your next objective, so there's no need to worry about any detours. Deliver Mabruuk to a cell; once the Droid Army is cleared away, we can move in and formally arrest him later._"

"Yes sir."

"_Speaking of your objectives, squad, we've had to rotate the order of importance. Intelligence got it wrong; hitting the Droid Dispensers now would only act as a detour to reach the factory. You'll be blowing up the droid factory first, then head for the supply tubes loading the Core Ship with Dispensers. The factory is located in the underground complex's lowest level – remember that hitting the factory will prevent the creation of additional reinforcements to load onto the Core Ship._"

"What about the Core Ship itself?" I asked.

"_We're trying to break the mobile assault cannons through the droid lines, but we're still fending them off. We can't risk sending those SPHA-Ts just yet, however they have the best shot of downing those Core Ships._"

"I just hope we don't get caught in the crossfire," Seven-Two remarked.

"_Nothing to worry about, we'll be sure to inform you long beforehand if we're able to get the mobile assault cannons there._"

"Understood, we're going ahead with the second objective now – Zero-Nine out." Sarge turned back to Mabruuk, "Get up. Make sure to keep those hands where I can see them."

The Neimoidian continued to press his hands along the back of his hat as he slowly rose. "Where are you taking me?" he angrily queried.

"Are there any prisoners kept in your detention block one level below here?" Sarge asked.

"Of course not, did you think we even had the time to do such a thing when the war is only breaking out now?"

"Then congratulations, you will be the first."

"You wouldn't! I _know_ the Republic only aims to bring this facility down; you'll just be locking me up to await the cell to collapse."

"Personally, I wouldn't mind that. However, you'll be placed under arrest once the Republic Army dispatches mop-up forces to pick you up." Grasping Mabruuk's shoulder with his left hand, Sarge uses the other to level his blaster behind the Neimoidian's head. "Let's go."

With Mabruuk in tow, we set off through the door he had opened. I had assumed the corridor would lead to another droid-infested room, but luckily my predictions were false – we were met only by a waiting lift, still fresh for occupants from when Mabruuk took it up.

Sarge escorted Mabruuk in first, with One-Three and Seven-Two in just after as they kept their rifles leveled on the Neimoidian. Quite frankly, I didn't see the point – he was unarmed, and it seemed to be a bit overkill to cover him the way those three did. Regardless, the rest of us piled in; Three-Nine pressed a key along the side to take us down.

"Where's Dooku, slime?" Sarge asked the prisoner.

"He's not _here_, if that's what's on your mind."

"I wonder if you know what you've gotten yourself into with this little rebellion of yours, Mabruuk."

"I know _exactly_ what I've gotten myself into, and you're showcasing it now! Dooku is right about the Republic – it spews corruption and must be-"

"That's just what a losing Sep would say," Sarge answered as he again pressed his blaster in the Neimoidian's face. "Just keep quiet the rest of the way."

I was glad Mabruuk complied with the order – not necessarily because I was annoyed with him, but because Sarge's behavior was concerning me with every passing moment. He was a respectable field officer – and he was also my friend. Regardless though, I hadn't seen this type of behavior from him before, and I certainly didn't like it. Enemy or not, he was still being pointlessly aggressive over a prisoner. Who knows though, maybe it was his officer training.

With the elevator halted and the doors opening, I got my first glimpse at this facility's detention block. The corridor seemed endless, extending into what seemed to be the abyss. The walls were lined with cells, each covered by a small door – just wide enough to fit one person through – accompanied by an electronic panel to the side.

Sarge didn't waste any time exploring, he extending his arm to the first cell he could reach, pressing a key. The door hadn't even finished opening when Sarge shoved Mabruuk into the cell.

"This isn't over, Clone."

Sarge got in the last word, "No, but it's over for _you_."

He slammed his fist into the panel, effectively shutting and locking the cell hatch.

"Zero-Nine to Command: Mabruuk has been secured and we are proceeding to the droid factory."

"_Good work; we're pushing the Separatists back out here and are preparing to move the mobile assault cannons in._"

"Will they be able to make it here in time before the Core Ship departs?" I asked.

"_Unknown; for now, just keep on your objectives – Command out._"

The elevator continued down; it was a relatively quiet ride – not so much because of Sarge's previous behavior, but the fact that the majority of Sep forces within this complex were probably located on these lower levels. After a tense minute, the chamber stopped and we immediately took forward aim.

The double-doors were slow to separate, but that didn't stop us from running our fingers over the triggers of our blasters once we caught sight of what was waiting for us on the other side.

"Blast them!" ordered the lead Battle Droid.

Thank the Force we were in proper attack formation by this time; we immediately commenced a mass barrage into the horde of droids. Our heavy fire-line penetrated the feeble droid armor easily, turning their frontlines into a pile of knocked over droids and debris – including their lead. Scores of droid bolts cruised by us as we stormed out of the elevator, putting up a defensive cover in the process of our advance. The droids seemed to have been caught by surprise by our mad rush into the corridor, as most of the Sep fire was randomized and aimless.

"Located the intruders, surround the hostiles and destroy them immediately," one of the defending droids ordered.

"Roger, roger."

"Choke on plasma, droid!" One-Four shot back – both verbally and literally.

The droid squad's frontline swiftly collapsed thanks to our continued barrage as we stormed the corridor. I noticed the metallic construction of the walls; the area was starting to look more like the inside of a battleship rather than a rocky underground. As their opposing rounds streamed past us, the five remaining hostiles attempted to crouch behind some supply crates lining the sides of the corridor.

"Oh look, _slightly intelligent _gearheads!" Three-Nine yelled over the fire, obviously noticing this.

I plucked two EMPs from my belt; as I clutched them in my hand, I stretched my thumb over the detonators and pressed the activation key on both. I placed the grenades between the fingers of my right hand and tossed them ahead, one for both sides of the corridor. They detonated a second later, emitting powerful electric streams that bypassed whatever cover the Seps had and engulfed each Battle Droid. They froze their attack and shook violently from the lethal waves surrounding them, ultimately clanking limp upon the floor.

"Place a charge there," Sarge ordered as he gestured to the door, "Prepare for breach maneuver; expect loads of hostiles on the other side."

I took up position along the side of the door with One-Four and Eight-Seven to my left; Sarge and One-Three stood across from us. Three-Nine hugged the wall to the left of the hatch as Seven-Two began setting up the breach charge on the door-lock.

"Keep clear!" he advised us as he rushed to position next to One-Three.

The charge warned us with a pattern of rapid-paced beeps quickly silenced by its detonation. With the lock blown off, the double doors separated; red bolts blew through the corridor between us. Three-Nine tossed a series of grenades behind him in rapid succession; I peered through the doorway in time to see the floors off in the distance covered in EMP waves, engulfing each droid within its perimeter – Battle Droids, a few Supers, even a Destroyer. We left our cover and flooded the next room simultaneously; we filled every space, every area, every nook with our blaster fire, all poured upon the surviving droids taken by surprise.

It was a nice, clean breach – the room was emptied of Seps and secured within the minute.

I caught sight of another locked door up ahead; several deactivated consoles lined the wall on both sides. Things were mostly pitch black with the exception of the small lamps lining the bottom; the only sound came from our boots pattering on the steel flooring.

…harshly interrupted by angry, roaring clicks; we turned about just in time to catch sight of a clearly peeved Geonosian warrior descend from the shadows up above, staff in hand.

With the bug looking to plant his feet directly on our formation, we quickly scattered. The creature landed in a most weakening position – completely surrounded by us. Not giving the bug any further time to react, I wrapped my rifle-wielding right arm around the Geonosian's neck. The squad leveled their sights upon him as I leaned my head toward the Geonosian's ear.

"Drop your weapon, _now_," I muttered.

The creature responded in kind, letting go of his staff. As it crashed to the floor, I kept a close watch on his hands…

…good thing I did too, because he subtly pulled a knife from his belt.

I shifted my torso away as the Geonosian attempted to stab me, thrusting his weapon back. Taking my own knife to bear, I was forced to slit it across the bug's throat, just under its elongated head. I could feel the sensation along the handle as I tore through skin in a perfect line across; dull, golden fluid leaked over the blade upon yanking it out of the wound. With the fatal wound placed, I shoved the Geonosian out of my grip and onto the floor, face-down in a small puddle of its escaped blood.

"…_nice_, Two-Five," Three-Nine congratulated.

"Did anyone bring the giant fly swatter in case more happen to show up?" remarked One-Four.

"_Intel states the factory is on the other side of the room you're in,_" the Commander advised us as Eight-Seven got to slicing the lock panel of the door. "_There are two major assembly points you'll need to hit in order to disable the factory – you'll come up upon one as soon as you breach the door; quantity of hostiles within is unknown, be careful squad – Command out._"

A chill climbed through my spine as our only contact with the surface ended transmission. There was no telling how many enemies were waiting for us on the other side – for all we knew, there was an entire reserve army ready to be sent up top.

"Slice complete, on your command Sarge," Eight-Seven informed.

"To the ready, squad; we're going to try this entry with stealth, do _not_ go in wildly shooting off unless you're discovered on the way in."

Sarge then waved his hand toward the door, gesturing to both sides of it. Three-Nine and Seven-Two took up positions next to the door, one on each side. Following this, he tapped One-Four on the shoulder and pointed to the space between Three-Nine and the door. With a nod, One-Four quickly checked his rifle's scope before setting up at that point. For his last command, Sarge waved his hand forward, the signal to take up our blasters and proceed ahead.


End file.
